The List: 5 Players who need to Drag their Teams to a NBA Finals Birth

On Sunday, Dwight Howard showed the rest of the world why he should be the star of the next superstar movie, as he dropped 46 points and snared 19 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks.

(Howard also terrorized anyone who went near the Magic's rim)

Unfortunately for him, the Hawks still won by 10, as they ran the Magic out of the building in Game 1.

But Howard's performance highlights a key point for Magic fans. If this team is going to go anywhere in the postseason, it's going to be because Howard took them there.

With that in mind, here are the five "stars" who will be expected to carry the torch if their team wants a shot at the Larry O'Brien trophy.



5) Zach Randolph/Marc Gasol–

Yes, it's two players. Also, they aren't "superstars," unless you like underperforming forwards and a Spanish transplant who was a throw in in the Pau Gasol trade.

(Does it get more awkward than traded for your own brother?)

Somehow, though, this odd couple has been downright dominant for the Grizzlies, who won the first playoff game in franchise history on Sunday. They'll need to keep hammering away for the Grizzlies to make their first appearance in the second round.

4) Kobe Bryant–

Name another NBA player who has his own song and documentary.





Bryant is one of the greatest athletes of our generation, especially since he's got a level of compete that's almost unmatched by any athlete in NBA history, save Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Bill Russel.

Here's some other food for thought. When Bryant went down with a neck injury in the first game, the Lakers title hopes took a direct hit. He's the undisputed leader on this team, and he's going to need to play like it if Los Angeles hopes to defend its title.

3) Derrick Rose

The play with time running down for the Bulls has become "Get the ball to Derrick Rose and stay out of his way."

You know it. I know it. The state of Indiana knows it.

The only problem is, no one can stop it.



And because of that, the Bulls become deadly at the end of games, simply because they have one player who is unstoppable as time runs down.

But yes, despite the fact that he is carrying the Bulls to the next round, there are still two more players who are more important than him.

2) Dwight Howard

Let's reiterate the fact that he had 46 points and 19 rebounds and his team still lost. Granted, the rest of his team shot like Butler in the National Championship, but there's no excuse to lose with Howard giving that much effort.

How often does a team lose when a player takes over a game the way the USSR took over Eastern Europe?

The crazier part about game 1? Howard's actually going to have to play better the rest of the series for his team to advance.

Good luck with that.

(Even Dwight doesn't like that idea)

1) Chris Paul

Aaron Gray plays 20 minutes a game for this team. Marco Bellinelli starts. There is not another player on the roster that could even be called a semi-star.

So to say that Chris Paul is important to this team might be an understatement. He's going to have to be considerably better than the superstar across from him every night. If he's not, there's no chance that the Hornets see the second round.

Is it a lot of pressure on a player, especially when the guy across from him is Kobe? Yes.

But Paul's never been one to shy away from pressure.



He's going to be just as tough to beat in this series, as he carries the torch for New Orleans.

–Peter Gegick